by Isabelle Esteves

Created on: January 20, 2013   Last Updated: January 21, 2013

When it comes to spur of the moment travel, the usual criteria is that the destination is either easily accessible to you and/or the price for the trip is absolutely irresistible. Sometimes it is even a combination of the two. What this means is that you may look at an email telling you that there are $100 flights to a destination that you are dying to visit or you may just be in need of a quick getaway that you can drive to.

If you live on the east coast of the United States, there are lots of great cities that are perfect for spur of the moment travel. New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC are all great options for the simple fact that they have a multitude of hotels and B&Bs. That means it should not be too difficult to find a place to stay on short notice, unless, of course, it is a time when a special event is going on. Trying to get a hotel room during Inauguration time in Washington will be difficult, and New Year’s Eve in New York City needs to be booked a year in advance.

If you enjoy a little slower pace, Charleston, Savannah, Raleigh-Durham or Nashville are all great places to get away on a moment’s notice. Nashville especially has lots of choices of places to stay, and none is more all-inclusive than the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. It is a destination on its own and if you just want to arrive and rest or stay onsite you can do that. There are a variety of restaurants and things to do to make your getaway interesting.

Farther south, the opportunities in Florida start at Jacksonville and continue all the way to Key West. You can stop almost anywhere along the way and find places to stay and things to do.

Maybe you prefer a getaway in the country? New England is packed with charming towns and villages that offer a bucolic way of life, including shopping in small local shops, dining on organic and locally sourced food and just letting all the stress of everyday life disappear.

The Middle Atlantic States offer their own variety of the country life from the wonderful beaches in the off season to the charm and history of the university towns. Virginia is packed with Civil War sites as well as stunning mountain views. Those mountain views continue into North and South Carolina and northern Georgia.

The eastern coast of the United States offers so many options to spur-of-the-moment travelers that you may find it hard to decide where to go. The best option is to travel often and get to know this great part of the country well.  It could take you years to run out of places of interest.

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